Paradox
by Erin Cummins
Summary: Egon and Winston find themselves stranded in 15th Century France. It's up to Peter, Ray and Janine to save their friends. Can they get back without causing damage? A couple interesting developments involving Peter and Joan as well as Egon and Janine. WIP


France, 1430

Drip . . . drip . . . drip . . . gradually brought Winston Zeddemore back from darkness. Musk and dankness permeated the small confined room his mind was slowly becoming aware of. Torches lined the cobblestone wall producing a dimly lit corridor just outside the confining room. Zeddemore turned to his left to find his friend and colleague Egon Spengler's unconscious upper body supported against the wall. Giving him a glance over patches of dry blood had formed on his forehead, right cheek and chin. The red-rimmed glasses halfway slipping off the bridge of his nose, cracks in the lens. He hated having to risk moving Spengler's body even the slightest bit in case he had a concussion but, worried about the blond physicist, he gently shook an arm.

"Egon? C'mon big guy wake up," Winston prodded in soothing whispers.

Still nothing. _I'll kill the bastards who did this to him if he ends up dead. No, Winston, don't think that. You need to get Egon awake, up and the two of you out of here._The seeds already planted though, he began fearing the physicist to be dead. He gently shook Egon once more.

"Come on big guy, wake up. Don't place the burden on me of having to tell Pete and Ray you died. Don't you dare force me to tell Pete especially."

Groaning finally came from the tall lanky body. A hand placed gently on the forehead removed a moment later at feeling the crusty, dried splotches of blood.

"W-Winston? What happened to me? Where are we?"

"I'm not sure, buddy. From what I can tell we seem to be in a dungeon. Please try not to move too much. You may have a concussion and--,"

Spengler abruptly halted Zeddemore's explanation and concern.

"Dungeon? How did we end up in a dungeon?"

"We must've been captured immediately by soldiers when we arrived here in that time machine Doctor Calloway created," Winston suggested.

Sky blue eyes beamed at the realization. "Of course. We were escorted from the Firehouse to France where the dig site and the machine were." Spengler dug into his upper left breast pocket and pulled out a medallion the size of a nickel. Any hope that may have shown on his face faded at seeing the small trinket damaged beyond use. "So much for us using the marker to get back home," Spengler sighed, raising the small trinket up to Winston's eye level. "Perhaps Peter and Raymond will be able to set a P.K.E. Meter to our biorhythm's when they get over here to come after us?"

Winston regretfully shook his head. "Sorry my man, but Doctor Calloway did tell us right before we left that nothing modern could go back." Pausing momentarily, glancing at the dirty and foul smelling uniforms. "We shouldn't even have been wearing our jumpsuits when got sent back here."

"I realize that Winston, but if we don't get back to our own time our presence here could greatly damage and disrupt what will become France's history."

Zeddemore smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry buddy. We'll make sure our presences don't disrupt anything having to do with France's future history. And we will get back home. I promise. For now we keep a low profile." Glancing over himself, Winston realized they were still wearing their jumpsuits, which depending on where or when they were might do a scary number on the locals.

Both jumpsuits were now caked with who knew what. "Whoever these people are, to them the two of us might as well be warlocks or--,"

Jostling and clanking of keys in the door to the small room cut the eldest Ghostbuster off in mid-sentence. The sudden disruption in silence, other than the two men's voices, brought the physicist and Viet Nam Vet out of their thoughts, a male English accent booming throughout the corridor. The feminine voice that followed, while certainly containing the delicate feature of most women, was strong, forceful and confident—even more so than the voice of the guard.

A young woman of about nineteen was thrown, probably the same way Egon and Winston had been, into the cell—her head stopping just inches before hitting the cobblestone wall. Slowly sitting up the young woman glanced over at the black man hanging protectively over the tall lanky body.

_What strange garments these men wear upon their bodies. Both wear blue in different shades. The two of them must share a great bond for this one man to hover over the other one so protectively_, she thought.

Too preoccupied and concerned with his friend's well being, Winston never gave the young woman so much as a glance.

"Can we at least get someone in here to help my friend?" Came the demand, an icy glare shot in the direction of the jailer. "15th Century France has to have some kind of physician."

"That'll be up to the King to decide if you two deserve a physician after determining if you two are French spies." Growling his final response the cell slammed shut once again, metal bars clanging with the frame of the door.

Zeddemore finally turned to the young woman to glance at her. She was quite strikingly beautiful. Winston guessed she probably stood a good 5'6" tall. Her brown hair, which if looked at under better lighting, was probably just as dark as Peter's. Her own blue eyes cast assurance and confidence at Winston, almost as if she were letting him know it would some how be all right. He turned back towards Egon.

"Egon? If I leave you for a moment think you'll manage? I just want make sure she's all right too. That guard threw her into here pretty roughly."

A faint smile came to his face. "Of course I'll be fine, Winston." Spengler's sigh echoed throughout the room and corridor. He silently muttered something, more to himself really than anyone else, as Winston edged closer to the young, nineteen year old woman. "As of now it looks as if Peter, Ray and Janine are our only hopes of getting out of here and back home."

France, 2004

Doctor Calloway peered over the control panel placing both hands gently on top of it, glaring at his younger and inexperienced colleague.

"What do you mean it keeps locking on France in the year 1430?" He asked, his already gruff voice mixing with the impatience steadily growing.

The younger man appeared to be about twenty-six, his short raven black hair nicely shaping his facial features. Bags under his brown eyes and a five o'clock shadow revealed more than the probability that he had gotten very little sleep over the past couple of weeks. Looking liked he could have been fresh out of Graduate school he bashfully lowered his head afraid to meet the icy cold gaze he knew was upon him.

"I-I'm sorry sir, but everything we've tried sending through the machine gets redirected to 1430 France despite our efforts to put in a manually selected location and time era."

Doctor Calloway paced back and forth from the booth he was standing in when he made his presence know to the younger man. Finally stopping he pressed the intercom button again. "I'm sorry, Eric. Didn't mean to take that out on you. I know you're trying." Pausing to think, he released his hold on the intercom for a moment. "Eric?"

"Sir?" Eric responded, wary and hesitant of another verbal lashing.

"I want you to make a call to New York. There are two men there who might be able to help us figure out our problem. When you make the call ask for Doctor's Egon Spengler and Raymond Stantz."

"You mean two of the Ghostbusters, sir?"

Calloway grinned. "The same."

"Sir? Forgive me for asking but they deal with ghost's, don't they? How can they

help us with this?"

Calloway's grin spread a little. "True, but Spengler is one of the top physicist's in the scientific field and Stantz? Well, Stantz is just as brilliant an engineer as Spengler is in physic's." Eric nodded vacating the room to make the call.

New York, 2004

Ecto-1 pulled into the garage of Ghostbusters Headquarters, the purr of the engine fresh and strong as Winston turned the ignition off. Stepping out of his beloved reverted vehicle a loving pat was administered on the hood before heading towards the back to help unload traps.

Ring . . . ring . . . ring . . . loudly dispersed through the garage level of the Firehouse from Janine Melnitz's desk. The loud, obnoxious sound of the phone didn't seem to phase the banter going on between the four men as Melnitz removed the phone off its cradle.

"Ghostbusters!" A pause as Janine placed a hand over the receiver. "Egon? Phone call."

Spengler made his way over to the secretary's desk taking the phone from her. "Hello? Yes this is Dr. Egon Spengler."

"Dr. Spengler? My name is Dr. Eric Williams. I'm working with a Dr. Christopher Calloway. He's requesting the assistance of you and Dr. Stantz on something he's been working on recently."

"Dr. Christopher Calloway? The scientist working on modifying time travel?"

"The same, Dr. Spengler."

"I'm not too sure Dr. Williams. For one thing, Dr. Stantz and I primarily deal with ghosts. For another, time travel should not be tampered with. The repercussions of tampering with such a concept could lead to catastrophic consequences," Egon gravely responded.

"What's up, Egon?" Ray asked looming at the top of the stairs going down to the basement, a smoking trap in his hand.

"Just a moment, Dr. Williams." Spengler placed a hand over the receiver. "Raymond, you and I have been asked to take a look at something."

The engineer and youngest member of the Ghostbusters gave serious thought about it for a moment. "How soon would we have to leave?"

"Immediately. They want us there the sooner the better."

"Gosh, I don't know Egon. Ecto's been due for a tune-up for quite some time now. I really need to take care of that."

Peter Venkman, half paying attention to the sudden phone call and half concentrating on the wonderful hot shower that awaited him, trudged his aching slimed body to the third floor of the Firehouse in the direction of the bathroom.

"Don't look at me as a second option. The only thing on my agenda is getting a shower to get this gunk off me," the psychologist said slowly heading upstairs in the direction of the bathroom.

Winston, who brought around the last of the smoking traps, glanced towards the direction of the psychologist. He paused, shaking his head amusingly at the brown-haired man and his comment before advancing in the direction of the engineer and the blond physicist.

"I'll go with you, Egon. I may not have the degree like you or Ray do, but I've secretly always liked historical stuff."

"Gee, Winston. I didn't know you were into that kind stuff. Mysteries, now those I knew about," Ray grinned.

"And risk getting grief about my knowledge of historical events like I do with mysteries? Please homeboy, I've learned from that mistake I made when we visited Agatha Grisley's place. Never again," Winston grinned back, clapping a hand on the young man's shoulder.

While smiling at his two colleagues a muffled sound came back over Egon's end of the receiver.

"Dr. Spengler? Dr. Spengler are you still there?"

Startled by the new noise, Spengler removed his hand from the receiver. "Oh, yes, so sorry Dr. Williams. Unfortunately, Dr. Stantz can't make it. However, Mr. Winston Zeddemore another colleague of mine will be happy to accompany me to France where the machine is."

Eric let out a disappointing sigh. "Well we'd prefer you and Dr. Stantz, but as long as you have someone with you that'll be fine. We'll see you here later on tonight."

Replacing the phone back on its cradle Spengler began ascending the staircase, Ray already having made his way down to the containment unit, turning to the eldest Ghostbuster as he did so. "Pack quickly, Winston. We leave for France in an hour."

Standing atop the stairs leading down to the basement as Ray had done only a moment ago, Winston nodded at the physicist's comment. "Sure thing, Egon. I need to take care of the last of these traps and then I'll be up to pack my things. I guess we're packing for an unknown length of stay too." The blond physicist never heard the comment as Winston descended the stairs to the basement, muttering a final thought more to himself than anyone else. "Why do I get the feeling I've bitten off more than I can chew signing up for this? Ghost involvement or not."

France, Several Hours Later

Shaking hands with Egon and Winston, the elder man introduced himself as Dr. Christopher Calloway. Both Ghostbusters began sizing him up knowing, despite the fact that they were on his turf, that if they were going to have authority on helping him they'd have to show they were in charge early on. From what Spengler could gather the Doctor stood as tall as him, a little over six feet, and appeared to be in his mid sixties with gray hair and beard. After introducing himself to both Ghostbusters he gestured over to a man to be three times younger Calloway's age.

"Dr. Spenger? Mr. Zeddemore? This is Dr. Eric Williams."

"It's a pleasure and an honor to finally meet you in person, Dr. Spengler," Eric beamed delightfully. "You as well Mr. Zeddemore," he added, his gaze shifting from Egon to Winston.

Regarding the younger man, Spengler and Zeddemore concluded that he appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. Bangs falling slightly over his forehead, his short raven black hair shaping and complimenting his facial features and boyish good looks. The brown eyes soft, kind and bubbly enthusiastic reminded the two of Ray back home.

New York, 3 Days Later

Peter Venkman had been sleeping soundly for the past hour; an exposed arm from his sheets draped over one side of his bed and an exposed leg over the other. The feeling of something gently shaking him began stirring him slightly.

"Five more minutes, Mom…." The psychologist said, mumbling half asleep.

The two other Ghostbusters had only been gone for a few days, but the firehouse already began to feel empty without the presence of the other two. Now, with Janine having left for the day, Peter and Ray truly knew they were the only humans staying in the firehouse.

The shaking Peter had felt moments earlier continued causing the Ghostbuster to frustratingly turn over on his side and away from whatever was shaking him. This time though he could begin to hear a faint voice speaking to him and squinted his eyes shut even harder in an attempt to block it out.

"Pete? Wake up. I think we have a problem and I'm worried," Ray told him, speaking in a louder voice to get Venkman to start waking up.

"Wake me when you're sure," Peter told him turning over on his side and going back to sleep.

Ray threw Venkman's bed sheets off him as a final effort to get him to listen. "Egon and Winston have been gone for nearly three days without so much as a phone call. It's more than probable Egon's completely wrapped up in whatever this Calloway wanted to show him and me. Winston on the other hand would have at least phoned here after the two of them had gotten a full night's rest," the occultist continued anyway.

Realizing he wouldn't get any sleep until Ray's mind was set at ease, Peter sat up in his bed yawning. His need to get back to his beauty sleep as quickly and urgently as possible clarified by his incessant yawning.

"Tex, you know what I think? I think you're making something out of nothing. Blowing this way out of proportion. You remember the last time we were in France?"

"The moment we got there we put off taking care of the ghost for a while to see the sights," Dr. Stantz said, remembering their trip to Paris.

Peter yawned again. "I'm willing to bet that Spengs and Winston didn't even get the chance to get some sleep the moment they arrived there. They were probably whisked right off to start looking into why they were needed. In fact whatever time it is there--,"

Ray smiled at Peter's lack of remembering the time difference between New York and France. "It's 4am there, Peter."

"Well, whatever. The point I'm trying to make, Tex, is that they'll probably just now be getting they're first chance at some shut eye--," the ringing of the phone in the bunkroom cut Peter from his thoughts yet again, "Can't a guy get a decent night's sleep?"

_I swear whoever this is will wish they hadn't been born,'_ he thought to himself.

The psychologist watched as the youngest Ghostbuster made his way to his bed, sitting down on it and picking up the phone by it answering in the traditional phrase of, 'Hello, Ghostbusters Central.'

_'Damn!'_ was the first thought that came to Venkman's mind automatically figuring the call Ray just answered would be a regular job. _I need to make a note to myself sometime soon that if a ghost isn't physically harming the client they need to wait until morning to get a hold of us_. He continued mentally cursing to himself, letting loose a few other mental choice obscenities.

Peter was too caught up in the thought of losing sleep to go out on a job two Ghostbusters short to notice the shock that began covering the occultist's youthly features. Ray simply sat on his bed, pausing to take in what he was being told over the phone.

"What? What do you mean our friends are missing?" Minutes later Ray's voice returned to Peter's end of the phone. "Sorry, Pete. It looks like you'll have to find some other time to sleep. We've been asked to head to France. It seems something's happened to Egon and Winston and our help in getting them back is requested. I'll call Janine while you're on your way here."

Groaning, Peter hefted himself out of the comfort of his warm bed as Ray hung up the phone. He sat on its side for a moment not wanting to head to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up and dressed. "It isn't fair, I tell ya. It just isn't fair."

Making a quick call to Janine, Ray heard the secretary's voice sleepily answer the phone. "H…Hello?"

"Janine, sorry to bother you, but we've just got word that Egon and Winston have gone missing."

Hearing the news quickly woke her up. "What do you mean they've gone missing?" A pause. "You know what, forget I asked. I'm coming with you guys. I'll be right over and you can fill me in then."

The youngest Ghostbuster didn't get the chance to protest as he heard a click on the other end of the phone.

France, Several Hours Later

"That was our primary problem," Dr. Calloway explained to an eager and anxious Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz and Janine Melnitz, escorting them into the main room the machine was being kept in. "We sent your friends back wearing their jumpsuits forgetting that they needed to wear clothes to blend in with the local peasantry." Calloway paused, grimacing at remembering another mistake he and his team made. "We also sent Dr. Spengler back while he was wearing his glasses.

Ray gave Peter a knowing glance. "Bifocals weren't invented until the 1700's. While our jumpsuits would be the key give away Spengs' red-rimmed glasses wouldn't help in the matter of blending in as well."

Peter turned his glance from Ray to Calloway. "Ya know for a world renown scientist you sure are sloppy, buddy," he retorted, impatience and anger growing in his voice. "Make no mistake though, if our friends are hurt or even--," Venkman gulped on that last thought but finished it anyway, "--dead I will not be sloppy with how I handle and treat you."

Stantz, who was more readily capable of hearing other sides out completely before passing judgment, placed a consoling hand on Peter's shoulder. "It'll be okay Pete. We'll get to where they are and bring them back. I promise." He was just as worried about Egon and Winston as Venkman was, but knew a hot temper wouldn't provide answers any faster.

"I'm coming with you two too," Janine blurted out.

"Janine, please, we're going to have enough to worry about you as well," Ray pleaded.

"If you think I'm going to sit here and wait for you and Peter to bring back Egon, you've got another thing coming Dr. Stantz."

Dr. Calloway escorted the three of them to a locker room explaining further instructions. "We require you to change out of your jumpsuits and put on any of the clothing items you see on the rack," he gestured to the metal rack off to the right of the two Ghostbusters and secretary. " Nothing modern goes back. Any glasses, watches, electronic devices etc. that you may have on you need to be placed in here for the time being." Calloway noticed the P.K.E. Meter Ray had firmly gripped in his hand. "I'm sorry Dr. Stantz, but that stays here too."

"B-But this may be our only, easy and quickest way of finding our friends. By setting one on Egon biorhythm's and one on Winston's we can get in and out of there in no time flat," Stantz protested.

"I'm sorry Dr. Stantz but rules are rules," Calloway answered, his hands stretched out to take the meter's away from Ray. A reluctant sigh and Ray handed the two over to Calloway.

Fifteen minutes later Peter and Ray walked out into the main room once again, this time dressed in French peasantry clothing. Burgundy wool pants and a brown cloak and hood on Peter's body, teal wool pants and a kaki tan cloak and hood on Ray's body. Janine and Eric following close behind them wearing the same clothing items, black wool pants and a brown cloak and hood.

"And where do you think your going?" Peter asked, turning around and seeing the young man close in step behind them.

"With you three of course," Eric replied.

The youngest Ghostbuster placed an assuring hand on Eric's shoulder. "Listen we know you want to help Eric, but this will go better if it's Peter, Janine and myself." An added comment, "I don't even want Janine coming with us, but when she sets her mind to something my friends and I have learned it's best to not cross her."

"Either he goes or you don't go at all," Calloway called from inside the booth he had talked to Eric through only a few days ago.

Peter shot a glare in the direction of the booth and the elder Doctor. "Listen, bub, Ray's right. We've had our share of having to go into the Netherworld on our own without the aid of other people. We can handle going back in time."

Calloway returned Peter's glare. "You're on my turf, Dr. Venkman. I want someone on my team there to report back to me what is seen there. Either deal with it or go home."

"Fine, he comes along." _Better to suck it up and deal with this old prick for the time being for Spengs and Winston's sake, Venkman. This guy can be dealt with when you and Tex return with them. What the hell are we though? Ghostbusters or babysitters?_ Then as an after thought, _Even if it is for Spengs and Winston's sake I don't have to like going along with this though._

Peter, Ray and Janine glanced over at Eric pulling out three tiny medallions no bigger than a nickel. "One last thing. These serve as markers. If you lightly press here you can see how much time we have left." He indicated so by pointing to a small button located just below the middle of the medallion. "Squeezing the marker completely will bring you back here no matter where you are." A faint smile spread across his face. "We obviously don't want to do that though or else your friends won't get back."

The secretary and two Ghostbusters took a medallion each, placing it around their necks, looking up at hearing Calloway's voice one more time. "One last thing I forgot to mention. There will be some pain as the three of you make the change. It will be very brief, but I did not want it influencing your decisions Dr. Venkman, Dr. Stantz and Ms. Melnitz."

This time it was Ray who shot a glare at the Doctor inside the booth. "Janine, Peter and I will go through any kind of pain to get our friends back."

Stepping into the machine with Janine, Ray and Eric, Peter cast an amusing glance at the engineer as the glass doors closed. "Look at us Tex? We're Ghostbusters. Surrounded by world wide fame and we're dressed like paupers. You'd think they could send us to 15th Century France in some style."

Smiling, the engineer gave Peter an amusing shake of the head as the secretary and three men took hold of the other's hands bracing for the pain that would be to come momentarily.


End file.
